Deacon
by anniearmitage
Summary: Part Ten of Horror & Love Series
1. Chapter 1

It's dark. Very dark. You can't see anything unless the moon shows through the many clouds in the sky. That is to my ultimate demise as I'm running through this huge forest, fearing for my life. I'll be happy to tell you how I ended up here and why I'm afraid to stop running even if I feel like I'll run out of breath any second now.

1 day earlier

My friends thought we'd celebrate our graduation from high school by going camping. It was only for the weekend so we didn't expect to be too long. Some of us wanted to get out of our parents house before too long. That shows how much my friends want to live on their own and be adults. So, we started hiking through the trails and got stuck when seeing these different signs to different trails. Eventually, with some voting, we decided to go on the trail, Timber Falls. It was a strange name but I liked it. We hiked further into the woods until we found a little clearing to camp at. As we were setting up our tents and getting firewood, some guys came by. My friends seemed to like them but I wasn't interested. They talked and it was pretty clear that these guys just came over here to flirt with us, One of them wanted to flirt with me too but I tried avoiding them. To them, I was playing hard to get. They didn't stay long but I still felt a bit uncomfortable with them around. What would they do if they rememorized where our camping spot's at? What if they tried something? I wasn't going to stand by and let some guys take advantage of us. That night, I slept with my pocket knife in my sleeping bag. The next morning (Today), there was nothing wrong. Everything was all right. The whole day until the late afternoon, everyone except me went site seeing. I decided to stay around and look after the camp. You don't know if those guys could come back or if some animal might tear up the camp. If it's rabbid, them I could stab those guys later if they don't leave. I know I'm sick but I'm very paranoid. And, as if my paranoria had been read, those men came back.  
"Hey, where are your friends? We wanted to see them again."  
"Sorry to disappoint you but they're off site seeing."  
"And they left you all alone?"  
"It's best to keep things in order in case something happens."  
"Like what?"  
"Like guys like you taking advantage of us." They started to laugh and I reached down to get my knife. Still there and I had all intensions to use it.  
"So, you're all alone here?"  
"Thinking of a sick fantasy of yours?" They started laughing again and I pulled out my knife.  
"Awww, she wants to kill us. Didn't your parents tell you to not play with knives?"  
"Didn't your parents ever tell you to not play with guns and innocent girls?" They all had shotguns on their backs and I was hoping they weren't going to use them.  
"Look, little girl. We could do this the easy way, or the hard way," one of them said, getting closer to me. He was now up against me with his breath stinking of some kind of beer.  
"Which is it?" My heart pounded and I knew only one thing to do at this point.  
"The hard way." I cut his right hand deeply with the knife and got smacked by him, leaving a lot of his blood on my face. I ran into the woods with that one guy following me. I guess he was thinking that he could get me by himself. In a way, he may be right. I'm not the best runner in the world but I'm not the worst. I was hoping that he couldn't see me that well right now as it was getting darker.

Present

I ran too much and I was starting to choke. I knew that I couldn't last any longer and then he'll get me. Then, like a miracle, I saw some lights from a near by house. I looked behind me for a second but I couldn't see the man. It was too dark to see but I hoped that he wouldn't notice my escape. I knocked on the door and yelled for someone to come to the door. Then, a woman amerged and I rudely came in and closed the door.  
"Oh my, child. What happened to you?" She touched the blood on my face to show what she was concerned about. I started crying and told her about that man chasing me. We then heard a banging at the door and I grew scared.  
"Don't worry," she whispered, "I'll take care of this. You hide behind the couch." I did as she told me and waited. She opened the door and started talking to the man.  
"Hey, have you seen a girl running around here?"  
"Nope. Why would a girl be running by my house?"  
"She's a psycho. Look what she did to me." I'm guessing he showed her his hand but I don't know what her reaction was.  
"What did you do to make her cut you?"  
"We were just talking and she suddenly cut my hand open." _Bull shit, rapist!_  
"I'll look out for her. What does she look like?"  
"Medium brown hair, black clothing, pale skin. You can't miss her. And she's got blood on her face and a pocket knife."  
"Okay. I'll be keeping an eye out for her." I heard the door close and the woman came to my side.  
"He's gone, sweet heart. That man's not going to hurt you."  
"I'm scared! Don't believe a word he tell you! He was going to rape me! That's why I cut him!"  
"It's okay. It's okay. It's a bit late so, if you want, I'll walk you to your camp tomorrow."  
"Th-Thank you." She started singing to me and holding me like I was a child until I fell asleep. I just hoped that this will turn out okay in the morning...

Guy's POV

I lost site of her and Ida's saying she'll look out for that bitch. I know she wouldn't lie. She's a very Christian woman that won't let you down. I go back to those girls' camp and they start to wonder about their friend, Nicole. I hate to break the news to them but I also have something else they wouldn't want to hear.  
"You know, she might not even have run away, but be missing."  
"Missing?" one of her friends asked.  
"Yeah, usually a bunch of couples come here to have fun and they go missing a lot. They are never to be seen again. Everyone thinks they're dead. That's what we believe too. So, your friend could've been kidnapped and taken away to be killed." Well, I'm not so sure about being taken. I did lose sight of her but I'm not so sure if she was taken away while running. She may as well be dead.  
"What do we do?"  
"Your best bet would be to leave. If you stay around any longer, they might get you too." They seemed to have believed my story and decided on leaving at dawn. They may report this to the police or the park rangers if they ask. All I know is that if this Nicole is carrying a knife with her, it may not be enough for her to survive. I don't even know what this killer uses. A knife, a gun, poison...I could be anything really. I just know that we have too many unsolved mysteries here in Timber Falls.


	2. Chapter 2

I woke up to the smell of breakfast being made. I sat up and noticed that I was on a couch with a blanket over me. _I guess that woman did this after I fell asleep._ I looked around at the very clean cabin and the woman cooking some eggs and bacon. She noticed me awake and came over to me.  
"Did you sleep okay last night?" she asked while feeling my forehead.  
"I guess. I'd really like to get back to my camp now. My friends might be worried."  
"At least have some breakfast, child. After you eat I'll escort you back to your friends." She led me to the table and I ate the food she laid out for me. She was a very good cook and acted so motherly.  
"What's your name?" I asked.  
"Ida Forester. Sorry I didn't mention it last night but you were too frightened to notice. What's your name?"  
"Nicole Alkins."  
"What a lovely name. I have a husband who works as a park ranger here. Do you have a boyfriend or husband by chance?"  
"No. I don't really have the chance to meet people and I'm too young to marry."  
"Oh, I just ask because you never know with kids these days."  
"Amen."  
"So, you're a Christian?"  
"Yeah. I'm not really religious but I do respect the Lord above us."  
"We don't find many kids like you, you know?"  
"I know. You don't really need to tell me. I know how a lot of people our age act." We stayed silent and finished the breakfast she laid out. After we got the dishes put into the sink and the left overs put away, Ida and I went to the camp. But as we came upon the site, I noticed that everything and everyone was gone. I remembered exactly where the site was and retraced my steps from when I ran. It was sad and I wondered why they would leave me behind. Ida comforted me and tried calming me down.  
"I think I know why this happened," Ida stated, "You said those boys were hanging around here, right?" I nodded, to caught up in my sobs to speak.  
"Well, those boys will do almost anything to have a good time and they like to make up nonsense stories. They probably said that you were attacked and eaten by a bear or something. If you want, you can stay with me." I felt like I didn't have any choice and nodded. Ida and I made it back to her house where she made some tea to calm me down. She seemed like such a great mother figure, I couldn't see why she didn't have any children.  
"Ida."  
"Yes, sweet heart?"  
"Do you have any children?"  
"No, I'm afraid I don't."  
"Why not? You'd make a great mother."  
"I know. My husband tells me I'm a natural born mother. I just can't have children. Well specifically, I can give birth but the children die after they're born."  
"I'm sorry."  
"It's all right. You didn't know. It would be nice to have a child to care for and hold."  
"You know, even though I'm a complete stranger, do you think I could be kind of like a child for you?"  
"I guess that would be okay. you can help me around the house and stuff." And so, I became her grown up daughter for awhile. We cleaned the house together, cooked, went out into the forest, and many other things. But then, weeks later, she led me down into the basement where there were many rooms. All filled with objects of torture and things only the insane keep around there. And that was also the day I met Ida's husband and her brother, Deacon.


	3. Chapter 3

The basement was very deep and pretty huge. We were at least 20 feet underground, I was told and there was no way of anyone hearing us. Say you were to scream very loudly down there. No one would hear you. You wouldn't have to worry if a forrest fire came up or a tornado appeared out of nowhere. It was also quite big for any normal basement. The rooms held different things inthem, almost like themes. There were many different rooms with chains and weapons and objects to hold someone in certain positions. Another just looked like a normal room but had all these babies in jars with names on them. Another room, had a table with leather bindings but yet, had a homey look to it. The last room that I'd seen was one that looked like a small chapel. For what, I'm not sure. Ida showed me all the rooms in the basement and looked back at my concerned face.  
"What is it, child? Are you frightened?"  
"What is this place? Why is it even here?"  
"Well, since your part of our family now, I'll tell you what we really do."  
"'We?' Who else is here?"  
"I'll explain that later. You're not easily disgusted, are you?"  
"No."  
"Then this may not be too disturbing to you." Basically, she, her husband, and her brother kidnap couples traveling here and use the women to make babies. They force them to get married so that the child is made into holy machromony (I know, I spelled it wrong but don't get up my ass about it). If demands are not met or if the couple breaks any of their rules, they will be tortured. They don't really wish to do such things but they really want a baby. I can see how the curse to concieve miscarriages can be heart wreakoning but this is a little much for a baby. Adoption could help but they probably really want to know if the parents were married before having the kid.  
"And that's what we've been doing for awhile now. Are you scared to know this secret?"  
"No, as long as you don't kill me for knowing this, I'm fine."  
"Oh, we wouldn't kill you. You're our daughter."  
"When can I meet them? You husband and brother?"  
"Well, they're waiting in the chapel for us." She led me to their little chapel room and I saw an old man that appeared to be one of the park rangers. Next to him was a man that was probably somewhere in his thirties, black hair almost to his shoulders, wearing a trench coat, a hat that looks similiar to what teenaged skater kids wear sometimes, and a weird looked scar on the left side of his face. It looked almost like a burn but torn up a little and forced the left side of his mouth opened. There were also the same looking marks on the left side of his face going up to his head. I shook hands with Ida's husband, who smiled and welcomed me into their I came to her brother, though, he was silent and just shook my hand slightly.  
"Oh, don't think of him being rude," Ida said, "He can't talk."  
"What happened?"  
"Well, growing up, our daddy wasn't very Christianed on him and he had an accident. That's why he's all scarred up on the left side of his face. He even lost his vocal chords due to it."  
"What's his name?"  
"Deacon. I know it's kind of strange but daddy had his reasons."  
"It's a good name." I looked up at my new uncle, I guess you could call him that now, and he stared back. He didn't look offended about me staring at him but kind of confused or maybe a little scared. It looked a little cute though. Almost like a dog. _Oh shit, I've got a crush on my new uncle,_ I thought as I looked away.  
"So, what do you think of Deacon?" Ida asked. _Perfect, I'll just tell all of them that I think he's cute. Yeah, this is not my day._ I tried thinking of alternative answers but I had nothing else to say but that I thought he was attractive. I looked down and Ida put her hand on my back to comfort me.  
"It's okay, Nicole. He's been told that he looks ugly or disfigured. He won't be offended if you say that."  
"It's not that, though."  
"Oh? What is it then?" I put my hand near her ear and whispered, "It's the complete opposite." She laughed and looked at her brother then at her husband.  
"Awww, Nicole thinks Deacon's cute." I started blushing and feeling really embarassed that she said that out loud. And they were all laughing about it too! Man, I felt like this was my unlucky day.  
"Hmmm, I think Deacon's got the same feelings," I heard her husband say. I looked up at Deacon and saw what looked to almost be like blushing appear on his face and that he was forcing a smile.  
"He's kind of a shy boy so don't feel left out."  
"Awwww, I feel love starting between them." This was making us both blush the more they went on about this. Then, they started talking about something different.  
"How about they go on a little walk, Ida?"  
"You mean, so that they could get to know each other?"  
"Yeah."  
"That sounds like a perfect idea. What do you two think?"  
"Ummm, maybe," I said. _Only so that you two would shut up about this! It's really embarassing!_ And so, we were led out of the basement to the outside. A peaceful walk between me and Deacon. Sort of since he can't talk and I'm the only one speaking to him. He's a really nice guy and we seem to have some things in common.  
"Hey, Deacon?" I asked before deciding on turning back. He stops and looks over at me, confusion written in his eyes.  
"Do you really like me? Honestly?" He cocks his head a little bit but then pins me to a near by tree, unexpectedly. His face gets really close to mine and he kisses me. Not even a minute later, his tongue's in my mouth! _Shy my ass. Although, this is a little bit enjoyable._ So, for the next few minutes, we're kissing or just frenching, which ever way you want to call it. His kissing was nice up until we heard a twig snap and that guy from before was back. _Okay,_ now _is not my lucky day._


	4. Chapter 4

Yep, today is not my lucky day. I cut this guy's hand weeks ago, which was bandaged up, I noticed. He's probably not going to like me so greatly now. Right now, I see a shocked and angry expression on his face. He looks like he's about to kill. Although, looking up at Deacon, I notice the same look on his face.  
"What is this we've got here? A make out party?" I stay silent, kind of afraid what he'd do. I'm also a bit worried about what Deacon's next action will be. His grip on my shoulders tighten a little. He's pissed for sure. I can almost feel the murderer's instinct being poured onto me by him. I'm quite surprised my arms aren't ripped off, actually.  
"Well? What are you going to do? Stand there like you don't know what I'm talking about?"  
"What do you mean? Why are you angry at me?"  
"Well, you cut my hand, for one. And for two, you're kissing a guy with a fucked up face."  
"Don't you ever say that! He's beautiful! More than you could ever be!"  
"Oh, so I'm the ugly one and he's Mr. Perfect. Why would you even touch him?"  
"Why do you even care, rapist?"  
"How am I a rapist."  
"I knew what your intentions were that night. You and your friends wanted to take advantage of me because I was all alone."  
"I should've. We should've held you down and taken turns. It's be so much more enjoyable for you than to do it with him." He looks at Deacon in anger. Deacon stares bake in equal or maybe even worse hatred. This was not going to end well. No not indeed.  
"Is sex the only thing you think about?" I asked.  
"Like you couldn't stop to think of such. You dirty little whore." Before I could even shout back, Deacon took a sickle from his coat and started cutting the guy. It cut him, pierced him, even tore the skin apart. Then, to make things even worse for the guy, Deacon made his sickle split apart and kept cutting him in more horrible ways. It was a gruesome, bloody sight but I was a little glad that he was gone. It sort of frightened me to see him do such a thing. He put his sickle back in his coat, turned, picked me up, and ran back to the cabin. When we got back, Ida and her husband were talking in the chapel and grew shocked when they saw us.  
"What happened?" her husband asked.  
"He came back. He saw us and made Deacon mad. He's dead now."  
"What are you saying?"  
"Nicole," Ida joins in, "Was it that man who chased you through the forest that night?" I nodded, now on the verge of tears.  
"What happened?" she asked.  
"Deacon and I were walking and getting to know each other. We started kissing and the guy came back. He recognized me and started saying things about him and called me a whore. That's when Deacon attacked him and brought me back here. Ida, it scared me so bad!"  
"What scared you?"  
"I didn't know what was going to happen. I know that you guys kill but I was afraid of what Deacon would do to him." Ida came to my side and started rubbing my back again.  
"It's going to be okay. Deacon just gets a bit out of hand at times. He would never hurt the people he loved, though. Not unless he was provoked or if they did something bad to him." It wasn't Deacon I was afraid of. It just took me by surprise to see him that way. It was so sudden. I expected it but it happened too fast. So, it wasn't a kiss that told me that he loved me. He was willing to kill anyone that tried to hurt me. But then, I felt another hand on me and Ida stopped. I looked up to see Deacon, his eyes showing sadness for seeing me cry. He took his hat off where I saw that his scars went further on his face to his head and he was half bald. That one small half of his head where the scars were was hairless while the rest held long black locks. He was still beautiful to me. I hugged him and he hugged back. I felt loved now that he was here holding me. I didn't care that he was a murderer or a little disfigured. He was all I needed to be happy now that many things have crumbled before me since those past several weeks. I looked up and noticed Ida and her husband smiling down at Deacon and I.  
"What?" He turned around and noticed too. He looked almost as confused as I was.  
"Oh, it's nothing," Ida said, almost sounding too joyous, "Let me take you upstairs for supper. Your stomach must be grawling like crazy." She took my hand but Deacon still held onto me.  
"It's okay, Deacon," I told him, calmly, "I'll be okay." He let go and I was taken back up to the house where we ate some roast beef. I still had to wonder what was so great that made them smile at us. I couldn't tell. Maybe they were just very happy to see us together or something. I don't know and I'll probably never be able to know. 


	5. The End & Epilogue

The next morning, I came down the stairs to see everyone in the living room. It surprised me greatly because I thought Deacon wasn't supose to be up here in case someone were to see him. Something must be going on for him to be up here. They noticed me and all but Deacon had huge smiles on their faces.  
"What's going on?" I ask, kind of creeped out by their strange happiness. Ida gets up from the couch and walks toward me.  
"We've been discussing some things for you and Deacon."  
"What kind of things?" Her husband starts chuckling and I'm starting to believe that there's something more going on than just discusions.  
"Really, what's going on, Ida?"  
"Nicole, what would you think of marrying Deacon?" Thank God I wasn't drinking or eating something because this was truely a huge shock to me. Me marry Deacon?  
"Why do you want us to get married? We just met."  
"Nicole, the day you came to me was like God had sent me a guardian angel. I couldn't be any happier than for you to act as my daughter. Now, I'd like a grandchild." Okay, now I'm hoping that she hasn't gotten too into the fact that Deacon and I like each other. I did feel love from when we kissed but who's to say this relationship will last as long?  
"Ida, I don't know about this. What if we have complications along the way?"  
"Just as long as this child's made while the parents are married, it won't matter. It won't be too hard to divorce you two if things don't go well." Please tell me she doesn't mean I'll be killed if we're going to divorce. This was going too fast. I met Deacon yesterday and I do like him a lot but I don't know if I want to marry him.  
"I need some time to think." I go outside and walk around, trying to think of what to do. I like him but do I like him enough to get married? Very tough question. I look over at the trails leading to different hikes up hills or down to the parking lot where you begin. Some rocks roll over toward me and I look behind me to see Deacon. He look concerned. I'm not sure what but he looked uncertain.  
"Deacon, do you really want us to get married." He nodded and walked closer to me. He put a hand on my cheeck and kissed me again. I kiss back, feeling that love I had for him yesterday. He broke it and I look up at him with the same uncertain eyes.  
"Are you sure?" He nods, takes out a ring from his coat pocket, and puts it on my left ring finger. He doesn't let go of my hand after putting the ring on and keeps it clasped over mine. I knew then that I really did love him. I smiled and said, "Let's go home, Deacon." We walk a little slowly as we go back to the cozy old cabin. Ida and her husband were over joyed to see that ring on my finger and our hands held together. That night, we were wedded happily. It probably wasn't the best in the world but I liked it. Although it was private and Deacon couldn't talk, I enjoyed it. And afterwards, we made that little grand baby for Ida and waited for those nine months to pass. It was amazing how much Ida was happy to have a grand kid and that she would talk to my stomach almost every day. I was glad that she was happy and that Deacon and I didn't have as many problems as I imagined. When the baby was born, we all found out that it was a girl. She was so precious and small when I saw her hours later. I named her Emily, a name Ida found greatful (I just thought of Emily Rose). We found ourselves not having too much trouble with this through the years. I was happy, Ida was happy, and Deacon was greatful when being with me. He was so nice and protective over me as well as his daughter. At least he wasn't trying to hurt me or Emily and many things were fine.


End file.
